By John Grigsby, Staff Reviewer

Available at FRP Games

Dawning Star RPG: Operation Quick Launch HC (d20 Modern/Future) [September PreOrder]
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Initiative Round
Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch is a d20 Future setting from Blue Devil Games. This is a 208-page hardcover by Lee Hammock, Chad Barr, and Justin D, Jacobson, from a concept by Joseph Martin. Technical advice was provided by Robert J. Grady and the layout and special effects are courtesy disPari,net, under the direction of Danilo Moretti. Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch retails for $29.95 (as a hardcover) or 12.95 (as a PDF).

Dawning Star: Operation Quick Launch, hereafter referred to as Dawning Star, focuses on the planet Eos in the Helios system, settled five-and-a-half decades ago. In 2189, it became apparent to everyone on Earth that their planet was to be destroyed by a collision with a dark object the size of Earth's moon within seven years. There was no way to avoid the impact, or lessen the force involved. All life on Earth would be extinguished.

Scientists the world over quickly responded, and a fleet of ion-engine evacuation vessels, each over five miles in length, was constructed. Each ship could carry over 2 million people in suspended animation, while the crew stayed awake for the duration of the voyage to a planet in the Lalande 211185 system, some 8.3 light years away. Because the journey, even with ion drive, would take over 80 years, the crew would pass their knowledge from one generation to the next to insure that the skills necessary to keep the fleet flying and in good repair would continue to exist.

Unfortunately, only 20 of the ships could be completed with sufficient time to permit loading and escape. Able to save only 40 million inhabitants from over 8 billion, lotteries were held to fill slots after the obvious choices (those with the skills necessary to fly the vessels and to provide support to budding colonies) had been made. The fleet and its support vessels launched barely a month before the impact.

They never reached Lalande 21185. In September of 2197, they encountered a strange object in the Oort cloud. As they moved to examine it, there was a flash of energy and suddenly, the evacuation vessel Dawning Star and its support craft were somewhere else. Without points of reference, and with their computers down, the crew could only figure that they were several thousand light years from their original position. After they restored sensor capability, they were delighted to discover that they had appeared on the edge of a system containing several habitable worlds. They set a course for the nearest world and began the terraforming process.

Initially, only the crew worked to establish the colony while the planet was terraformed, but 30 years after landing, the process of awakening the passengers was begun. In the intervening two decades between the first awakenings and the present day, much has occurred; contact with two alien species, the establishment of new colonies, and the development of a central non-military government. This is a highly encapsulated version of the lengthy history presented in Dawning Star, but it should serve to give you an idea of the setting.

Dawning Star introduces only one species of alien as playable characters; the velin, a native life form of Eos. In form, the velin bear an eerie resemblance to humans, aside from their gray, leathery skin. Players can also choose to be human, of course. The other aliens in the setting, the tentaari, are a technologically advanced race reserved as gamemaster characters. They are not enemies, however; more like mentors that reveal certain bits of information as the campaign progresses.

In addition to those found in d20 Modern and d20 Future, Dawning Star introduces 19 new talent trees and 13 new occupations, several of which (particularly the talent trees) are perfectly suitable for d20 Modern/d20 Future games outside the Dawning Star setting. There are new uses for old skills, along with two brand-new skills—barter and terraforming—and 22 new feats. A new concept introduced in Dawning Star is that of species classes. These are similar to the racial paragons first introduced in Unearthed Arcana for D&D; representing a character than embodies the core ideals of a species. The human survivor and the velin hunter are the species classes described here.

All advanced classes from d20 Modern and d20 Future are acceptable for a Dawning Star campaign, except the Helix warrior. However, Dawning Star introduces a number of new advanced classes worth considering as well. Air-runners fly the rotorwing and vector-thrust aircraft that serve as the primary means of long-distance transport on Eos. Barter jacks are traveling merchants, carrying finished goods from Dawning Star to the other settlements, and returning with raw materials, food, and other supplies. The colonial leader has the leadership skills, dedication, and organizational ability to lead a group of people from a struggling settlement to a full-fledged society. Gunhands are wandering mercenaries who offer their skills with firearms to the people of Eos for everything from security and law-enforcement to leading raids on other settlements. In a similar vein, the lawmen serve as keepers of the peace, even if that means shooting someone to keep things peaceful. Ranchers are the people that keep the populace of Eos well-fed, developing excellent survival skills and honing a talent for riding the local fauna. Rebuilders are often thought of simply as sanitation workers or handymen, but the job is anything but boring; imagine having to clean out a nest of alien spiders that spit acid and who think you'd make a lovely addition to the dinner menu. Last, but certainly not least, are the velin Guardians, protecting their tribesfolk against all dangers, including some humans.

There are two new prestige classes in Dawning Star. The Republic ranger is an elite law officer with jurisdiction anywhere in Republic territory, and they freely cross jurisdictional boundaries without care in pursuit of justice. Velin chiefs are political and spiritual leaders, responsible for guiding the tribe through change and, when necessary, leading them into battle.

The technology of Dawning Star is a curious assortment of advanced tools and 19th-century devices. Ranchers ride horses armed with laser pistols, while outlying settlements often rely on candles and lanterns to save on power. In this campaign setting, you can find a fully-functional space station whose crew is armed with swords and lasers. Of course terraforming technology is available, as is cloning technology (most creatures brought from Earth were in the form of stored genetic material), but computers still do not see widespread use. Dawning Star introduces 45 pages of new technology, including weapons, armor, vehicles, starships, and even mecha!

The World of Eos chapter offers more information than most players will ever need about the primary setting of Dawning Star, and gives the GM a close look at the campaign setting from the top-down. All major points of civilization are covered in fair detail, including overall Progress Level, purchase DC limit, and the DC for Knowledge checks to find the nearest Black Market representative.

What the previous chapter did fro the world of Eos, the next chapter does for the Helios System. Though the colonists have made little effort to explore beyond Eos (seeing no need), there are missions planned to begin reaching out into the nearby void. It is also apparent that humans are not the only ones to call this system home. All nine planets, both asteroid belts, and the alien space station known as the Tentarri Gateway Station are provided with minimal detail, though more has been promised in a forthcoming release.

Eos is an alien world, and even though some Earth species have been introduced, it is no less dangerous. The Xenomorphs chapter introduces a baker's dozen critters that can plague adventurers, as well as two intelligent alien species that can show up now and again to truly put some respect into your PCs. Sure, they might be a pack of tough hombres, but an encounter with an eight-foot tall insect that carries a microwave laser that will cook the flesh right on your body will put them in their place.

Finally, there is a section full of adventure hooks and a sample adventure to kick off your Dawning Star campaign. In "A Day in the Life," the PCs are forced to seek shelter from a sudden rain, accompanied by a flash flood! Naturally, that's not all there is to it, but I'll leave the details to the GM to let you discover.

Critical Hit
On the whole, Dawning Star is a strong setting with plenty of support material already available for it and more on the way. It is very much akin to Firefly in tone, with a definite feel of the "Old West" while keeping enough technology that you don't forget that you're in the future, and the idea of adventuring on an alien planet will appeal to many players. The velin are excellent foils, serving as tenuous allies that one can never be too certain where one stands with, and can easily go from enemy to ally and back again, depending on how the PCs handle relations with them.

Critical Fumble
I noticed a couple of problems with the timeline in the history section. For one thing, the dark object was first noticed in 2184. It was not until 2189 that it was accepted by the scientific community as being a threat and the determination made that Earth had seven years left. And yet, it was in 2186 that the Davinger Ion Propulsion Drive was completed, three years before the crisis that inspired its creation! And you thought Star Trek had convoluted continuity!

Beyond this, I didn't find anything that I particularly disliked about the setting, though I felt that for all its size (the book racks in at a whopping 208 pages), there were a few areas that could have been expanded upon. I'd like to have seen a few more xenoforms (as I really like alien species) for example, but there will be more on the way, I'm certain.

Coup de Grace
Dawning Star represents an excellent campaign setting that looks to be very interesting. It's compelling because it's the kind of setting you feel could exist. It's not the Utopian, antiseptic future of Star Trek, but rather the base, down-to-earth setting that one could reasonably expect from humankind. This is the kind of future that is most playable, offering the technology that people tend to associate with science-fiction in a setting that is familiar to just about anyone. The central storyline is engaging and interesting and it makes the reader want to know what happens to these brave people in a strange new world.

The core book is backed with a solid index and table of contents. All game mechanics have been designated as Open Game Content. I found the artwork to be average, overall; superior in some areas, but a little lacking in others.

Though set firmly in the Dawning Star campaign setting, there is no reason you couldn't raid this product for ideas to use in your own campaign setting or choice. Most everything here should fit nicely into a near-future setting with little or no adjustment. But if you're going to buy the product anyway, you may as well use it for what it was intended.

Review Scores

Overall Total (Does not include OGL Rating): 113 (90%)
Final Grade: A-